Saturday, March 10, 2012

Silent House

Silent House is defintely not a movie for everyone. Advertised as a horror film, "torture porn" fans expecting gore and jumps around every dark corner may be disappointed. It's not the scariest movie out there, but it's definitely a fresh way of producing a movie.

The movie is an 88-minute long thriller that is presented in one take. Shot start to finish by one camera with no cuts, Silent House follows Sarah (Elizabeth Olsen) as she helps her father and uncle renovate and empty her childhood lakehouse. While the three are working, they find themselves sealed in the house with no hopes of escape or no way to contact anyone for help. Sarah's father is attacked by someone else who is lurking in the house, and Sarah races to find answers and a way out.

I do not want to go into any further plot description because (like one of my favorite films, "Cloverfield"), this movie is best if you go in to the theater knowing as little as possible. With the camera following Sarah the entire time, you really do get sucked into her story, feeling just as terrorized and confused as she does. Knowing small details before heading to the movie will just suck you out of the situtation, in turn, sucking the fun out of the experience.

Overall, the movie was amazing and left me speechless at the end, only muttering "I loved it, I loved it" repeatedly. However, if any part of the film is lacking, unfortunately it's the script. While I like the direction the movie takes, there are far too many clues that give away the ending long before it arrives. Full of symbolism, some of it just becomes overkill which is a shame because, overabundance of symbolism aside, it really is a great film.

It could have easily been your average "girl in a dark house" horror movie, but when you really sit and think about the fact that it was a single 88-minute long shot, you're forced to be blown away. Elizabeth Olsen is a force to be reckoned with, and although I can assure you that this movie will not be nominated for any awards, she really should be. Portraying the perfect mix of horrified and confused, Olsen owns the camera the entire 88-minutes, whether she's uncovering dark secrets or hiding under furniture. I can easily say that I can not think of one other young actress in Hollywood right now that could have done this film as effortlessly and perfect as she did.

As stated before, no awards will come out of this movie. But what I do hope comes out of it is more work for Elizabeth Olsen, as well as more "real time" horror movies. What is more haunting than watching your biggest fears come to life in front of you, with no cuts or "filler scenes" to ease your nerves?